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Last updated: 26 June, 2023

Operating from 1936 to 1945, Sachsenhausen was one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps during World War II. It was initially designed as a model camp to serve as a training ground for SS officers. However, it soon became a place of unimaginable suffering and death for tens of thousands of prisoners.

Sachsenhausen held political dissidents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, and other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazis. The prisoners endured harsh conditions, forced labor, medical experiments, and brutal treatment. The camp also housed execution facilities, gas chambers, and crematoria, where thousands of prisoners were systematically murdered.

Liberation came in April 1945 when the Soviet Army arrived. Today, Sachsenhausen stands as a memorial and museum, providing visitors with a sobering reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the importance of learning from history.

Price: Free
Minimum age: 14
Age suitable: 14+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The best way to visit is on a guided tour from the city. See our recommendations below in the ‘organised tours’ seciton.

If you prefer to go independently, get a regional train (RB or RE) from Berlin Hauptbahnhof (the central train station) to Oranienburg, which takes approximately 30 minutes. From Oranienburg station, you can either walk for about 25 minutes or take a bus (line 804 or 821) to the memorial site. The bus journey takes around 10 minutes.

You can book a tow-hour guided tour directly with the museum by filling out the form on the website. Min age 14 and book 4 months ahead.

When to do it

The museum is open all year round, seven days a week.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp - Tour in Italian

Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp - Tour in Italian
Visit the Sachsenhausen Memorial, which was the concentration camp closest to the Nazi capital and became a prototype on which all other camps were based. On this tour we will take you back to the prisoners' daily life and their struggle for survival on the basis of selected biographies. The prisoners were among others simply Communists, Jews and whoever else the Nazis considered their enemy. Just imagine that 200 000 inmates from 40 countries had been here!

Price: €23

Min age: 0

Rating 4.97 / 5 [39 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Sachsenhausen Memorial Guided Walking Tour in Berlin

Berlin

Sachsenhausen Memorial Guided Walking Tour in Berlin
Take an interesting and touching tour in one of the most important concentration camps. Depart at 10am to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp on this guided walking tour. Sachsenhausen was a model for other Nazi camps to follow, and was the one that led the way during Hitler's command. Over 200,000 people were imprisoned at Sachsenhausen and at least 50,000 of them lost their lives during that time.

Price: €26

Min age: 0

Rating 4.92 / 5 [659 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Visita en español al campo de concentración Sachsenhausen

Berlin

Visita en español al campo de concentración Sachsenhausen
La visita guiada free por el campo de concentración de Sachsenhausen te ayudará a comprender la Historia del horror nazi y a explorar los límites de la opresión política y la crueldad humana. Conoce las historia y las mejores anécdotas de manos de nuestros guías especializados. La duración del tour es de 5:30 horas incluyendo el trayecto de ida y vuelta desde Berlín.

Price: €28

Min age: 0

Rating 4.95 / 5 [1109 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Walking Tour from Berlin

Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Walking Tour from Berlin
Head north of Berlin ( about 1 hours by train) for a tour into the past at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, one of the main concentration camps in Nazi Germany. While you explore the memorial site with a guide, you'll learn the history of the camp and those imprisoned here, providing an essential background to Germany's past and present.

Price: €29

Min age: 0

Rating 4.78 / 5 [1229 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin

Berlin

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin
The former concentration camp Sachsenhausen was the first purposely built camp to be established as a center for terror, fear, persecution, torture, experimentation and murder. Initially it imprisoned those the Nazi's deemed to be racially, socially or politically inferior. On your way to the former concentration camp pass through the local town of Oranienburg and learn how the population supported and benefited from its operation. Your expert, licensed guide will accompany you through the former prison/punisment cells, infirmaries, barracks, gas chamber and crematoria. Learn stories of valour and solidarity amongst the inmates in the face of an almost hopeless situation. During our tour you will visit the Inspectorate of Camps, from this innocuous looking building the Nazi's controlled the entire concentration camp sytem of Europe. For every ticket sold we donate €2 towards the upkeep and future restoration of the former concentration camp

Price: €30

Min age: 0

Rating 4.83 / 5 [2590 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Tours & Sightseeing in English of Berlin, Potsdam and Sachsenhausen

Berlin

Tours & Sightseeing in English of Berlin, Potsdam and Sachsenhausen
A luxury tour at budget prices. You will be collected and returned to your hotel in a climate-controlled vehicle. All this for €42 per person! In the allocated time you will see more of the city than on any tour and hear original soundtracks of speeches by Kennedy, Reagan and Hitler at those exact locations where they spoke. We are all experts on the city. Our mission is to inform without boring you with a plethora of dates, focusing on the human angle and bringing to life the famous and infamous personalities who, for better or worse, have left their mark. Our presentation is witty, but insightful and we don't shy away from controversial opinions or questions. Each group receives a FREE CD containing captioned photos of all the listed sights. The duration is two to three riveting hours and you will see all the sights listed below. The all-inclusive price for the Berlin City Tour is €42 per person.

Price: €30

Min age: 0

Rating 4.86 / 5 [50 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Private Tour: Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial from Berlin by Train

Berlin

Private Tour: Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial from Berlin by Train
Visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial on this private tour from Berlin. With a licensed guide who will answer your questions and tailor the tour to your interests, you’ll get in-depth insight to the history of the camp and the intentions behind it.

Price: €245

Min age: 2

Rating 4.84 / 5 [99 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Berlin

Germany

Berlin

Europe’s hippest capital boasts non-stop nightlife, cutting-edge fashion, cosmopolitan eats and museum treasures galore. At the centre of the World and Cold Wars, it also oozes history, much of it sobering.